Yesterday afternoon, Cable in the Classroom presented a session at The Cable Show featuring a panel of high school students drawn from Clark County-Las Vegas schools and teen media marketing expert, Anastasia Goodstein of Ypulse. At a conference full of cable industry experts and analysts, you may be wondering what these teenagers had to offer that hasn't already been said. As a standing-room-only audience learned, the answer to that question is “Plenty!” Simply put, today’s youth are the most media-saturated, connected and tech-savvy generation ever. Their behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs about technology and media are shaping the world today and will do so only more in the future. Among the big takeaways: Teens are very particular about the technology in their life and make it their business to stay current with the latest and greatest products and services. They have a large influence over their parents purchasing decisions for advanced products and services in the home. And, while they are voracious consumers of audio and video content, they are challenging many current advertising-supported business models – especially ones that do not do a good job of targeting their interests.
For cable, we can see these changes afoot as a challenge to our businesses or as an opportunity. Whether they are aware of it our not, many of today’s students are heavy users of cable’s broadband connectivity, they enjoy our award-winning programming and online interactive content, and are looking forward to our wireless offerings. As an industry, we are well-positioned – perhaps best positioned – to offer them what they want, when and how they want it. Of course, the road ahead may not be entirely clear or even easy, but cable is a dynamic business and with a level playing field, there is no doubt that we can innovate, compete, and earn the trust of both today’s and tomorrow’s customers. For more insights into the rapidly evolving views of teens be sure to check out Anastasia Goodstein’s blog.
- Doug Levin